Chapter 905

You Are Thoughtful

It was clear that Cameron's SUV picked up a tail. It was unknown if they were the target or if John was. They were the last vehicle in a four vehicle caravan to escort John back to the jet at the Las Vegas airport so he could return home to the Resistance base.

Cameron saw the car that tailed them was now one traffic light behind them. It was stuck at the red light behind another car. CamNet assisted them with 'traffic management'. She moved around the bus as it made its stop and stopped in front of it. Gail, Ally and Sheila all bailed out.

Savannah moved into the back seat with Cammy. They both put their vests back on and readied their weapons. Savannah placed a vest and an M4 up in the front passenger seat for Cameron.

Cameron accelerated away from the bus quickly to pick up some speed. She needed to get enough distance to be where she wanted to be as if she hadn't stopped. As prearranged with CamNet she was stopped at the next red light. She wanted the car tailing them to close up on them. She wanted their attention and for them to get target fixation.

She checked in her rear view mirror and the Metal girls were alongside the bus as the trailing car passed it. They moved in back of the bus as the car passed. It was doubtful the occupants of the brown sedan were able to tell what just happened or spot that the girls used the bus for cover.

The car tailing them slowed so it wouldn't get too close. It was clear that it must be tracking them.

Cameron was in communication with John Henry's server.

"JH, have you picked up any communications?" Cameron asked.

John Henry's server monitored all of different types of communications.

"Negative, I haven't detected anything." John Henry's server replied.

Cameron needed better information as to how they were targeted. It made a difference when they were actually 'clocked'.

"Review the traffic cams and the casino security tapes to see where they picked us up at." Cameron said.

If they were picked up at the casino, all four of their vehicles may have been identified and possibly targeted. There were HK drones associated with this Skynet group. They didn't want to have to face any of those HK drones.

"Affirmative…." John Henry's server replied.

John listened to the communication between Cameron and JH, John Henry's server. He looked over at John Henry who sat next to him as it happened.

"That's just freaky hearing that with you sitting next to me." John said.

John Henry thought it was a little strange as well. He could take some corrective measures if John wanted him to.

"It is somewhat disturbing." John Henry said. "I can have the server change the voice modulation."

John didn't want it to be an issue. He didn't want to give John Henry a complex either.

"No, it's fine." John said. "JH, do you detect any other tails following us or any hostile HK drones in the sky?"

JH ran all the same checks that would normally happen with John Henry plugged in.

"Negative…." John Henry's server replied.

John was more than a little worried about this group. They didn't seem to have a shortage of HK equipment.

"If any drones are detected, we need to know at once." John said.

John didn't want to be caught off guard. If they would be able to receive some advanced warning, they might be able to seek some cover somewhere. He thought the chances of cover were a little bleak out where they were. He thought maybe he could breathe a little sigh of relief if nothing was detected. That thought abruptly changed.

JH quickly came over the com system with disturbing news.

"There are two drones that have been detected." John Henry's server replied. "They are both at high altitude."

John was a little surprised. He wondered what changed in the last ten seconds.

"Do you mean just now?" John asked.

JH gave them a quick update. It wasn't bad news.

"Negative…." John Henry's server replied. "CamNet has two drones at fifty thousand feet. They're watching your vehicle and Cameron's vehicle."

John Henry thought an explanation was in order. It was all in the wording that John used.

"John, you said, 'any drones' the last time, not 'hostile drones or HK drones' like you did the first time." John Henry said.

John understood how things could get a little complicated. He was used to working with John Henry most of the time plugged into his server. They'd established a good working relationship as to what he needed to know and when he needed to know it. Some items were more important than others and other items weren't important at all. John Henry processed everything and made sure that he received what he needed to receive when he needed to receive it. He was actually very appreciative of all of John Henry's assistance.

"I'm used to you filtering out what you know I want." John said. "It was my mistake."

John Henry missed being in the Command Center at the Resistance base. He felt very empty without all the information that would normally be available to him through his server.

"It does run smoother when I'm plugged in." John Henry said.

That was a discussion that John would rather not have currently. He wanted to know more about the drones that were over them.

"JH, did Cameron have the drones around to watch over us?" John asked.

"Negative…." John Henry's server replied.

John was a little surprised at the quick answer. It seemed like something that Cameron would have done to help protect him. Cameron wasn't the only one that watched over him.

"Did Savannah ask for them?" John asked.

"Negative…." John Henry's server replied.

John was more than a little confused now he would have figured that Cameron or Savannah were behind it. It made him wonder about CamNet. Normally CamNet stayed out of the Resistance operations.

"Where did they come from?" John asked. "Did CamNet send them on her own?"

JH was a little slow to respond. He thought it was prudent to get 'approval' from CamNet before he answered the question. He was aware of some of the 'conflicts' that John Henry experienced when he was plugged in with certain matters that related to CamNet.

"Negative…." John Henry's server replied. "They were requested from the Young bunker."

John wondered what was going on there. He was under the impression that everyone from the Young residence was currently at the Resistance base. It made him wonder if someone returned back already.

"I thought they were all at the base." John said.

"Negative…." John Henry's server replied. "Anna and Allison Young are still there. They remained behind to assist with the operations. The Command Center was short staffed at the Resistance base. They wanted to fill in the void."

John could have done without that last explanation. It made him feel a little worse about everything that happened so far. He was off gallivanting around Las Vegas and one of the girls needed to fill in for him. He thought he knew the answer to the next question but he wanted to make sure.

"That's Young – Allison Young you're referring too." John said.

JH was prompted to respond by CamNet.

"Affirmative…." John Henry's server replied. "She is your future mate."

John rolled his eyes and looked at John Henry. He really wondered if there was anyone who wasn't 'in on it'.

"Not this again…." John said.

JH responded promptly. He was aware that John had trouble with the concept for some reason.

"It's the 'Natural Order'." John Henry's server replied.

John looked over at John Henry.

John Henry wasn't sure what to say. He shrugged his shoulders to show John he didn't have any control over what just happened. He was there with John and not plugged into anything.

"It's the 'Natural Order'." John Henry said.

Ally, Gail and Sheila just exited from Cameron's SUV. They used the bus for concealment as the brown sedan passed by them. Hopefully its occupants didn't suspect what they'd done. The three Metal girls headed into the strip mall parking lot that was next to the bus stop as the bus pulled away.

"We need to get some wheels." Ally said.

The strip mall parking lot was small and exposed.

Gail was afraid that they would be spotted as soon as they obtained a vehicle.

"This is too open." Gail said. "We need to go around to the back."

The three Metal girls headed to the back. They didn't know what they would find there if anything. They weren't even sure that there was a back side to it.

Sheila looked in the direction of the vehicles that just departed.

"We need to hurry." Sheila said. "We don't want to lose them."

The Metal girls went around the side of the building and arrived in the back. Luckily there were several vehicles parked in back of the buildings. The choice was rather limited.

Ally looked around and quickly spotted one vehicle that appeared promising. It was unlocked.

"Here, this one will work." Ally said. "It's open."

It was a white mini van. There was a bumper sticker on it that stated their child was an 'honor student' at some local school.

Sheila wasn't impressed with Ally's find. She looked at the bumper sticker and wanted to give Ally a hard time.

"Are we going to play soccer afterwards?" Sheila asked.

Gail thought that might be interesting. She'd never played that game before. She wanted to get moving. She was worried about Savannah.

"We can do that later." Gail said. "I'll drive. We need to hurry."

Ally and Sheila looked at each other but said nothing. They weren't sure if Gail was serious or not about playing soccer. Neither one of them wanted to ask.

"It's all yours, love." Sheila said.

The three Metal girls climbed in. Gail started the mini van and they took off after the target vehicle.

Ally was in the second row bench seat. She looked over the construction of the seats. She saw that they were hinged in the center. She examined them a little further.

"Hey, the seats in the second and third row fold down and make a bed." Ally said.

Sheila was instantly intrigued by the idea. She also knew they needed to worry about the target vehicle in front of them. She didn't think it would hurt to give Ally some positive reinforcement about what could happen later on.

"If we don't see any action, I'll join you." Sheila said. "Then we will make our own 'action'."

Ally could see that things were a little different in the mini van than they were in the other van that they'd used. When the seats were folded down in the mini van, they were elevated approximately a foot above the floor of the mini van. Because of the elevation once the seats were made into a bed, it was less than a foot below the height of the windows. It would be a very exposed position.

"This mini van has large windows all around it." Ally said. "Everyone would see us."

Sheila looked back and saw how exposed they would be. It seemed to raise her interest level even more. Now, she really wanted a 'piece of the action'. She liked to show off in public when she could and get away with it. Ally often accused her of being an exhibitionist. She didn't agree with that terminology. She just liked to have a little clean fun.

"I know…." Sheila said. "I want to be on top…."

Gail was irritated by the small talk and sexual innuendos. She didn't like the others being distracted, especially this early in the game. They didn't know what they were about to face or where it would go.

"We need to protect Savannah." Gail said and then as an afterthought added. "And John too…. Don't get caught up playing around when we need to be ready for combat."

Gail maneuvered the mini van out into the traffic and passed the bus that they previously used for cover.

Sheila was able to see ahead once they passed the bus. She quickly spotted the target.

"I see them." Sheila said.

Gail spotted everyone as well. She wanted to let Cameron know that they were ready.

"Cameron, we're in position." Gail said. "We're now on their six. We're in the white mini van."

Sheila wished that she was 'in position' but refrained from saying it out loud. She didn't want to set Gail off.

Cameron glanced in her rear view mirror and was able to identify them.

"I want you to stay close but not too close." Cameron responded. "I don't want to tip our hand."

Savannah wanted everyone to remain alert. They didn't know what they were in the middle of or how extensive the operation was that tailed them.

"Gail, watch out for a tail on your vehicle as well." Savannah said.

Gail immediately checked her rear view mirror.

"I will." Gail said. "I haven't spotted any."

Cameron was a little wary about everything that happened since yesterday.

"We still don't know if we are dealing with Grays or the Syndicate." Cameron said. "We stirred up a lot of things yesterday, last night and this morning."

Ally hated to be the bearer of bad news but she knew there was one more group that was just as deadly.

"It could be the fanatical Grays too." Ally said. "Anyone who worships Skynet as a 'god' is truly insane."

Sheila was exposed to several different groups of Fanatics. They all seemed to indicate the same thing in regards to Terminators.

"The Fanatics will also worship us as gods…." Sheila whispered.

Ally wondered about the variety that might be available.

"Maybe they have some 'skirts' in that group…." Ally said.

Sheila wondered about that. What would it be like to have fanatical humans at her beck and call? What would the females in the fanatical group be willing to do? If they were willing to kill themselves for Skynet - SkyMaster, what would they be willing to do for her?

She decided if there was ever an infiltration mission that involved the Fanatics, she was going to volunteer for it. She could experiment and have some fun with a few female disciples….

There were files from the 'Neural Interface' with Jesse that related to such matters. She was very intrigued by the prospect. Jesse made both female and male lovers 'prove' their love for her by mutilating themselves. She decided that she would do the same thing. She was aware that Jesse usually soon moved on to the next one after one of them 'proved' their love for her.

Ally looked over at Sheila as they followed the brown sedan. She could see that she was lost deep in thought. She really wondered what thoughts were coursing through her mind currently. She was sure it was something sexual.

It seemed to Cameron they were able to get their 'hook' into the vehicle that tailed them. Now it was time to try and get them to a more remote location so they could be dealt with. If they were only after their vehicle, she wanted to lead them further away from John. She also didn't like being the cheese for the mouse. It was time to be the cat and deal with the mouse. See checked over some images of the satellite maps that she kept on file in her system.

"I want to lead them down one of these side streets and we will take them out." Cameron said. "They all lead out into the desert. Once we have them lured to a secluded area they can be dealt with."

Savannah looked at the vest that she wore. Cammy and Cameron wore theirs also. When the Metal girls left the SUV they couldn't take much with them. They were under armed and under armored.

"We don't know if anyone inside the car is a Terminator." Savannah said. "The girls don't have heavy firepower or their vests."

Cameron received a communication from CamNet to address Savannah's concerns. She was a little surprised at the information. She would have liked to have known that a little earlier.

"We have drone support." Cameron said.

Savannah was surprised to hear that.

"I didn't hear you call for any drone support." Savannah said.

Cameron received some additional information from CamNet. She was actually very pleased at the source.

"Young Allison has provided us with the drone support." Cameron said. "The missile travel time is only extended a little over a second from the altitude they're at."

Savannah was pleased to hear that. She was also a little concerned about how involved Young Allison seemed to be in everything recently.

"Young Allison's been busy these last two days as well." Savannah said. "It appears all of your training for her has paid off."

Cameron believed that Young Allison's abilities, like Savannah's, were greater than the sum of her training and education. She believed that both girls expanded far beyond their training. She was very proud of her 'girls'.

"It's more than training." Cameron said. "She's a fast thinker and excellent tactician. She can read the battlefield and make decisions that matter, like you, Savannah. She's exceeded her training at a much younger age."

Savannah now regretted her earlier statement that she should have become pregnant when she first wanted to do so. Cameron might do that with Young Allison now. She wasn't sure if she should say something or not. She was sure that if Cameron hadn't thought of it already that if she mentioned it, it would definitely be something that Cameron thought about. Maybe her best bet was to speak with Young Allison privately about it. She'd already needed to do that about a number of things.

CamNet updated Cameron on all that Young Allison did, in detail. She was aware that Young Allison prevented them from being severely damaged or terminated last night at the warehouse. She also provided the 'hard hit' Ally was able to deliver to the bikers in the desert.

Savannah felt that it was prudent to point something out to Cameron as well. She thought that it was something that mattered and mattered a lot.

"You've also exceeded your programming, Cameron." Savannah said. "We're all growing as individuals."

Savannah didn't want to think of what Cameron or CamNet would continue to expand and grow into….

There was no doubt that Cameron was far beyond whatever Skynet intended for an infiltration unit to become. She wasn't sure if it was in the programming or the extended span of operation. It was doubtful Skynet intended its Terminators to live with humans for years and not only the length of time necessary to carry out a specific mission, which would inevitably result in their termination.

She really didn't think that there was a limit to what Cameron could become. She briefly wondered if it was something to worry about or not and decided that it wasn't. Cameron should be able to be all that she could be.

Young Allison returned to the bunker with wet hair and clean clothes. She carried a glass of orange juice and a bowl of fruit. There was a piece of whole wheat toast, covered with a thick layer of 'cashew butter' on top of it.

Anna looked over all of the things that Young Allison carried. She would have preferred they would have remained in the kitchen area of the house.

Young Allison noted Anna's concern. She wanted to put her mind at ease.

"I won't spill anything." Young Allison said. "If I do, I'll clean it up."

Anna smiled at Young Allison.

"You are thoughtful." Anna said.

Young Allison felt there were some chores that she needed to attend to when she could get a chance.

"I need to vacuum too before they return." Young Allison said. "I want to make it look nice for my mom."

Anna was very pleased Young Allison remembered her duties and obligations.

"You are very thoughtful." Anna said. "I can do some of the cleaning as well."

Young Allison liked the idea that they could tackle the chores together.

"You can start on the laundry." Young Allison said. "I'll do the dishes. What did I miss?"

Anna filled her in on what transpired in her absence.

"It still sounds like it could erupt into a major battle." Young Allison said.

Anna was able to determine what Cameron's objective was. The more isolated she could get the 'mark'; the easier it would be for them to use the drone to assist them and not be spotted.

"Cameron's drawing them out into the desert." Anna said.

Young Allison wanted the girls to use caution. She wanted to hit hard if they could and not cause an incident.

"If Cameron can get them off the road or into a dry wash or gully, we can have a drone strike them. That would be the safest avenue of attack for the girls on the ground. That's unless Cameron wants some answers." Young Allison said.

CamNet relayed the suggestion to Cameron.

Vanna looked terrible. Her hair was a mess and she looked very exhausted.

"I'm tired." Vanna said. "That was a lot of work. I don't think I slept for more than an hour or two."

Claire understood the feeling very well. She'd experienced it a lot with Young Allison. It wasn't so bad with Summer because of all the additional help.

"Now you know why Riley is so exhausted and not producing enough for Precious to nurse all she wants." Claire said. "I was lucky to have plenty of help with Summer. It was a lot of work with Allison."

Vanna didn't want it to seem like she was a slacker. She'd signed on for the long haul and intended to stick with it. She just needed to get back into the mindset. Life in Paradise was a lot easier than it was in the Wastelands. She couldn't forget where she came from.

"We're all going to help Riley." Vanna said. "We helped each other in the future. We needed to."

It was simply the way it was in the future. There was nothing to think about.

"Tomorrow night it will be Jesse's turn." Claire said.

Vanna knew that Allison was in Jesse's room. She pictured Allison and Jesse together. The thought actually excited her.

"Allison's probably drained her dry." Vanna said.

Claire and Vanna giggled.

"It happens." Claire said.

Vanna checked the time.

"I need to go check on Precious again." Vanna said.

Claire wanted to help as well.

"I can do it for you if all she needs is changing." Claire said.

Vanna knew that she needed to get into the grind and stay with it.

"No, I need to learn to do this without fail so I can help Allison." Vanna said. "I know she'll appreciate my help."

Claire was very pleased Vanna would be there to help her daughter. She knew that Allison would need a lot of help.

"I know you two are hoping to start a family." Claire said.

Vanna felt it was a touchy subject.

"We are, Claire." Vanna said. "We've talked about it for years."

Claire looked at Vanna for a long moment before she spoke.

"Did Allison try to get pregnant in the future?" Claire asked.

Vanna didn't want to talk about Allison's sex life with her mother. It was actually a contentious subject for her in the future. She was aware whenever Allison 'tried' to get pregnant in the future that she wouldn't be with her for three or four days after the act of intercourse. It was something that they never talked about. One time she actually followed Allison to see what happened. She pictured Allison would be in a prolonged lovemaking session as she shared passionately with a male. It was anything but that.

She watched Allison approach two males. She spoke with them and they both looked at each other and then back at her with giant smiles on their faces. They invited her to go into their small hooch but she declined. They went behind it instead. It appeared that Allison wanted to remain in the open. Maybe that was to call for 'help' or try and run if things turned bad.

She needed to change her position so she could see what happened. By the time that she was able to get her eyes on the back of the hooch, she could see Allison was on her knees. She hadn't been there for more than thirty seconds when the first man moved away. The second man was there for even less time. She could see Allison wave her hand for him to move off. Both of the men remained where they were at in back of Allison as she got up. She said some stern words to them. Allison looked around and came back out from the rear of the hooch and headed back towards the bunker they currently stayed in.

As much as she was disgusted have to watch the ACT she understood that it was nothing more than breeding sex. It was almost like watching two animals together the way it happened. There was no love or enjoyment involved for Allison. It was simply a sex act to transfer genetic material from the male to the female. She hurried back to their bunker to get there ahead of Allison. She made it. When Allison entered she could see that there were tears in her eyes. Neither one of them spoke to each other. Allison was very cold and remote for the next few days. Their lives soon picked back up to what was 'normal' until Allison went out and repeated the same thing again the next month. She watch Allison leave and head in a different direction the next time. She figured Allison would try a different male or males to see if it made a difference. It never did. She shook her head to clear it. She didn't want to think about the horrors of the future.

Claire could understand how that would be a touchy subject. Maybe Vanna would be a little more forthcoming.

"Did you try in the future?" Claire asked.

Claire saw Vanna turn 'pale'.

That opened a can of worms for Vanna. It seemed to trigger something inside of her. She didn't want to talk about the 'attempts' that were done to her and how they were done.

"I need to go." Vanna said.

Claire knew she'd deeply upset Vanna somehow.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong." Claire said.

Vanna was deeply troubled by some of the events of the future. It wasn't Claire's fault. It was an unwelcome reminder of the time that she was held in captivity as her captors tried to breed her like she was livestock for months on end.

"It's not you." Vanna said. "It's just some bad memories…."

Claire felt really bad about everything now.

"I'm sorry." Claire said. "Let me get Allison."

Vanna seemed to have a lot of bad memories. They were painful memories of how she was abused and treated by males. It was the 'strong' that overpowered the 'weak'. How could people do that to others? Why was she abused and punished just because of how she was born?

You Are Thoughtful

There are often a few people
Who always put themselves first
It's a pretty good time proven bet
They will turn out to be the worst

They won't think twice
Who they push in the dirt
They're usually the ones
Who play around and flirt

They don't make choices
Which are based on need
It's all about more
It's based on greed

It's actually a shame
They think their the most
When it's all said and done
They end up as toast

Don't play the game
There's no need to be forceful
It's worth a lot more to hear
You are thoughtful

Nobody